Vudu's streaming video service, until now available only on a small number of Mitsubishi TVs and some LG TVs and Blu-ray players, will make its way into more devices this spring, the company announced at CES.

Just prior to CES, the company rolled out a new cloud-based applications platform, called Vudu Apps, similar to that offered by Yahoo via its Internet Widgets platform. Vudu says there are currently about 100 applications that are available as part of the service.

Vudu will make its way into TVs, Blu-ray players and Blu-ray-enabled home theater systems from LG Electronics, Mitsubishi, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Toshiba, and Vizio. The Vudu streaming service includes movies in its HDX format, so far the only streaming service we've seen that looks like real HD, and the only one offering 5.1-channel Dolby Digital Plus surround sound.

Vudu's apps platform will be used on select broadband HDTVs from Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Sharp, and Toshiba, and on Web-enabled Blu-ray players from Toshiba.

These new deals will essentially put Vudu out of the hardware business. Although it's still selling its own Vudu settop boxes, they will be discontinued, although still supported, by Vudu once current inventories run out.

—James K. Willcox

Combing through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily, Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through the noise to bring you the tech news most important to consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.

2009 Word of the Year is “tweet”; Word of the Decade is “google” (American Dialect Society)

In its 20th annual words of the year vote, the American Dialect Society voted “tweet” (noun, a short message sent via the Twitter.com service, and verb, the act of sending such a message) as the word of the year and “ google” (a generic form of “Google,” meaning “to search the Internet) as its word of the decade.

Fast Flip in Google News (Google Operating System)

Google News homepage added a new section for Fast Flip, the innovative service from Google Labs that lets you quickly scan news articles. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll see a list of the most viewed articles and some articles about popular topics.

Sports Illustrated launches mobile barcode promo for swimsuit issue (Fierce Mobile Content)

…The barcodes, which will run in the Jan. 25 issue of SI as well as other Time Inc.-owned publications including People and Fortune in advance of the swimsuit issue's Feb. 9 publication, will also appear in New York City subway ads and on Las Vegas hotel room keys–consumers who snap a photo the barcode with a camera-enabled handset will receive a series of photos spotlighting this year's "rookie class" of models making their first appearance in the magazine.

BlockChalk Is Location-Based Sidewalk Chalk For Your Mobile Device (TechCrunch)

…A note about a good cafe, a tip of something in the neighborhood to watch out for, a request to borrow something that someone else may have in the neighborhood, etc. When other people also using the app come upon the area that you’ve pinned your “Chalk” (their word for message) to, they’ll see it on their screen in a stream of Chalks.

Using iPhone App to Crowd-Source Asthma Research (AsthmaMD)

…Where AsthmaMD really make a difference is by gathering anonymous asthma data to help researchers with unprecedented information into the causes and external correlation of asthma. AsthmaMD users may optionally opt-in and allow the application to securely send encrypted and anonymous data, such as the severity of their asthma attacks, triggers, time, date and location to a database managed by Google.

Did You Forget to Pay the Google Bill? We Got Another Disconnection Notice (All Things Digital)

…“In addition to engaging in sales of electricity that are unregulated by the commission, applicant proposes to act as a power marketer, purchasing electricity and reselling it to wholesale customers,” Google’s Google Energy LLC subsidiary said in its application.

Culprit in Wi-Fi Failures: Chicken Wire (Wall Street Journal)

…That is because Mr. Pewtherer's 80-year-old building in the Mission District, like thousands of other old homes in the Bay Area, was built with the technological equivalent of kryptonite in its walls: chicken wire. Metal wiring inside old plaster walls blocks wireless signals, frustrating San Francisco residents as wireless-equipped devices like iPhones and laptops proliferate.

Nil by mouth (Roger Ebert's Journal)

…What I miss is the society. Lunch and dinner are the two occasions when we most easily meet with friends and family. They're the first way we experience places far from home. Where we sit to regard the passing parade. How we learn indirectly of other cultures. When we feel good together. Meals are when we get a lot of our talking done — probably most of our recreational talking. That's what I miss. Because I can't speak that's's another turn of the blade.

Lighter Side: Reporter breaks an 'unbreakable' mobile phone at CES (BBC)
The phone fared better in our own test—using the screen to hammer a nail into a block of wood..

Interesting news occurred at CES, affecting how all the media devices in your home talk to each other:

Digital Living Network Alliance, an industry group, has developed a standard and certification process covering how those media devices interact. DLNA-compliant devices ensure that digitally-stored content like music, pictures, and videos can be reliably sent over a home network connection – wireless or wired — from a storage device to a player, display or another storage device.

I met with the folks who organized the DLNA at last week’s CES and got filled in on the current status. They have created an important set of requirements governing the interchange of personal content within the home and extended it to commercial, protected content (like TV recordings), too.

There are dozens of companies either on the DLNA board or signed on as promoters, making it the most widely-accepted interoperability standard for media devices, and a logo to look for when shopping. Interoperability gives you the freedom to choose whatever brand of TV, DVR, network backup drive or PC you want. This stuff is available now and growing, and most of the biggies are members.

Here are a couple of typical scenarios:

• Windows 7 contains DLNA “smarts” and will allow a DLNA-compliant TV or set-top box (with a built-in network connection) to “pull” digital photos and videos from the computer, with no additional software needed.
• I also got a nice demo of the built-in ability of a DLNA-compliant cell phone to serve as a user-friendly controller to send video content from a DLNA storage device (DVR and Xbox respectively) to a display device (TV and PC respectively). They also made a cell phone “push” a stored picture to a DLNA printer networked over Wi-Fi.

Other, proprietary protocols for media transfer require you to use products from the same manufacturer. Sometimes this is because there are no industry standards covering a new technology, such as sending HD video over a home’s power wiring.

But we think manufacturers should quickly adopt interoperability standards such as DLNA and Wi-Fi where they exist, giving consumers the freedom to choose.

—Dean Gallea

Sharp's 68-inch Aquos LE920 TV
Photo: Sharp

Although the company was running 3D demos at its CES booth, the real emphasis for Sharp Electronics in TVs at the show was the launch of a new “QuadPixel” color technology that adds an additional color—yellow—to the standard red, green, and blue (RGB) primary color filters found on other sets. The four-color filter technology will debut this spring in three new Aquos LE-series LCD TV lines that use edge LED backlights.

By adding the extra color, Sharp says, a TV's color gamut can be expanded from millions to trillions of colors, resulting in more natural, truer images, and the ability to more accurately display hard-to-depict colors, such as brassy gold. The QuadPixel technology will be found in LE920-, LE820- and LE810-series Aquos models, which are ultra-thin (1.6 inches deep) models that meet Energy Star 4.0 guidelines.

Also new is the expansion of Sharp’s Aquos Net online service to include Netflix movie streaming;  Vudu will reportedly be added later. Although Sharp was among the first TV manufacturers to offer Internet connectivity in its sets, this is the first time its TVs support instant movie streaming. Sharp owners can also use Aquos Net for real-time customer support.

A 68-inch Aquos
Sharp says the LE920 Series will be available in May; prices aren't final, but indications are that a giant 68-inch set will cost around $6,500, a 60-inch model about $4,100, and 52-inch set about $3,300. LE920-series sets will includes Sharp’s AquoMotion 240Hz anti-blur technology. LE820 and LE810 sets, available in 60-, 52-, 46-, and 40-inch screen sizes, use the same edge LED backlights and X-Gen LCD panel as the LE920, but use Sharp’s Fine Motion Enhanced 120Hz technology. Both the LE920 and LE820 sets have a glass panel that extends all the way to the rounded edges of the set, with a slim border around the perimeter.

The LE820 and LE810 models will be available this March. Suggested prices for the LE820 series run from $2,200 for the 40-inch set, to $4,000 for the 60-inch model. LE810 sets start at $1,800 for the 40-inch set, and run to $3,500 for the 60-inch TV.

—James K. Willcox

Today's electronic deals, courtesy of The Consumerist:

• Newegg: Toshiba 32" 32AV502R 720p LCD HDTV for $349.99 w/ Free shipping
• Sony Style: Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 52in LCD HDTV (Refurb, 1080p, 240Hz) $1549 Free Shipping
• Amazon: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7 10 MP Point-and-shoot $129.99 + free shipping
• Crutchfield :Crutchfield: $20 Off $100 Coupon Code w/ coupon 3A825
• Sony Style: Sony MHC-EC99i 530W Mini Hi-Fi Component Speaker (REFURB) $109.99 Free Shipping
• Meritline: PQI 4GB Class 6 SDHC Card $11 Shipped
• IHaveToHaveThat.com: 17" Laptop Case for 1 cent + $6 s&h
• Staples: Skullcandy Ink'd Earbuds $9.99
• Amazon :  Microsoft Wireless Keyboard + Laser Mouse for Mac w/ Programmable Keys for $25.25 w/ Free Shipping

• Amazon: The Beatles USB Box Set, Limited Edition 16GB Green Apple $238.99 + free shipping
• Amazon: Ctrl, Season 1 for FREE
• Amazon: In Gayle We Trust, Season 1 for FREE

Related: Computer Ratings and buying tips; Digital camera buying tips and Ratings; TV Ratings and buying tips; Blu-ray player Ratings and buying tips; Speaker Ratings and buying tips; Headphone Ratings and buying tips.